Conveyer



A. FREEMAN Sept. 28, 1954 CONVEYER Filed Nov. 9, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet lA. FREEMAN CONVEYER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor /)//md flee/nan y Sept.28, 1954 Filed Nov. 9, 1949 A. FREEMAN Sept. 28, 1954 CONVEYER 4Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 9, 1949 A. FREEMAN Sept. 28, 1954 CONVEYER 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 9, 1949 Patented Sept. 28, 1954 CONVEYERAlfred Freeman, Wellingborough, Northants, England Application November9, 1949, Serial No. 126,290

Claims priority, application Great Britain November 16, 1948 7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to conveyors of the kind comprising parallelrails constituting tracks and carriages which are adapted for engagementwith and to travel along the said tracks, for example for the conveyanceof articles or goods from station to station during manufacturingprocesses and the like. v

In this connection the invention is intended for application principallywithout, however, limitation in this respect, to conveyors of this classsuitable for installation in boot and shoe factories for the purpose ofsystemising and ex pediting the progress of manufacturing operations onand along production lines. Thus, in a conveyor for this particularpurpose each of the carriages is usually in the form of a comparativelyshort wheeled tray or rack, like a small trolley, adapted for holding orsupporting one or more series of lasted uppers, complete with lasts, orarticles of footwear in various stages of manufacture, or evenindividual boot Or shoe components, and so on. For instance, for thesupport of lasts, a wheeled rack may be furnished with one or moreseries of upstanding pegs, Whereas other racks or trays may either beprovided with work-holding or supporting loops or with receptacles forwork in the form of, say, juxtaposed channels or compartmenta all aswell known to those acquainted with the boot and shoe industry,Accordingly, the invention is not confined to the provision of carriagesof any particular form. In use the carriages are propelled, either byhand or automatically, along the tracks from station to station so thatthe work conveyed can be dealt with progressively by different operatorsalong the production line.

Moreover, the invention has reference particularly to conveyors of theform wherein the tracks are located at or near the backs of thecarriages, thereby providing complete freedom of access to the latter.In such a conveyor the two spaced parallel rails of the track or of eachtrack are arranged one above the other so that the track is in aVertical, or substantially vertical, plane. The vertical face of therail-supporting structure may, for example, have attached theretosuperimposed pairs of vertically separated rails suchwise as to providewhat may be regarded as an open-fronted conveyor.

Heretofore, conveyors of this form have often required to be arrangedclosely back to back so that carriages were available for the attentionof operatives stationed at opposite sides of the double conveyor.

As, however,- such an arrangement is not possible where factory space isstrictly limited, the object of the present invention is to provide animproved conveyor which, whilst it-has the advantage of a double (backto back) conveyor is adapted for erection and use in a minimum of space.

The invention accordingly consists of a track comprising two spacedrails arranged one above the other, and, mounted to travel along thetrack, carriages each of which is adapted to be rocked, whilst stillengaged with the lower rail, from a position where it is tiltedlaterally to one side of the track and is handy for loading or unloadingby an operative stationed at this side of the track to another positionwhere it is tilted laterally to the opposite side of the track and issimilarly handy for loading or unloading by another operative stationedat this opposite side of the track, according to requirements.

The idea, as will be appreciated, is to provide a track which is commonto operatives stationed at opposite sides thereof and which, moreover,will provide freedom of access to the carriages irrespective as to whichside of the track they are located.

I In a convenient embodiment of the invention each of the carriages isfurnished with longitudinally aligned or alignable wheels engaged withand adapted to run along the lower rail of the track, and is providedwith a member or members which are spaced in the lateral direction ofthe carriage and are adapted for engagement with the upper rail of thesaid track, the construction and arrangement being such that any one ofthe carriages can be tilted see-saw fashion laterally of the track toone side or the other with the lower rail as fulcrum, suchwise as tobring the appropriate member or members into contact with the upperrail. That is to say, if the carriage is tilted laterally in onedirection the member or members at the appropriate side of the carriagewill be brought into contact with the corresponding side of the upperrail, whereas if the carriage is similarly tilted in the other directionthe member or members at the other side thereof will be brought intocontact with the opposite side of the upper rail. The said membersaccordingly function not only as stops or abutments to determine theextent of the tilting movement of a carriage in either direction but toassist in supporting the carriage during travel thereof along the track.Thus, as will be understood, a carriage can readily be transferred by arocking movement about the lower rail from a 3 position at one side or"the track to a corresponding position at the other side thereof.

By the expression laterally tilted in this specification and in theappended claims is meant that carriage, viewing it from one end, ismoved bodily to or fro in a direction transverse to its line of travelat the time angularly with respect to a line connecting the upper andlower rails of the track.

The aforesaid combined stop and supporting members on each carriage arepreferably in the form of rollers mounted on upwardly directedtrunnions, the peripheries of the said rollers being so radiused thatthe carriage is supportable in an inclined position at the side of thetrack to which it is moved. In this way, the carriages are sitestivelypresented towards the operatives, and the loading and unloading of thecarriages is thereby facilitated.

Each carriage may advantageously be mounted for movement, to one side orthe other, relatively to its longitudinally aligned wheels so thatduring lateral tilting movement of a carriage in either direction itscentre of gravity will be shifted to an extent to preclude anypossibility of the carriage lifting or cooking up when lasts are takenoff pegs thereon or work is removed from the work supporting elementsthereon or receptacles therein, as the case may be.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readilycarried into praetical effect, a specific constructional example thereofas applied to a conveyor having a plurality of superimposed tracks, withcarriages on each track, will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure l is a general perspective View of a sec tion of the saidconveyor,

Figure 2 is an elevational view of a fragmentary portion of thesuperimposed tracks as seen from one side,

Figures 3 and e are detail elevational views of those parts of Figure 2ringed round at A and B respectively,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary end elevation of the tracks,

Figure 6 is an end elevational view of one of the carriages per se,

Figure 7 is a detail side view of a portion of one end of such carriage,

Figure 8 is an underside plan view of one of the end frames of thecarriage, as seen in the direction of the arrow 1) in Figure 6, and

Figure 9 is a detail end elevation showing two carriages laterallytilted in respectively opposite directions.

Like parts are designated by similar reference characters throughout thedrawings.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that the improved conveyorincludes a plurality of superimposed tracks T each comprising twovertically spaced upper and lower rails i and 2 respectively. The upperrail l of each track consists of vertically depending flanges of aseries of longi tudinally aligned lengths or sections 3 of angle iron,whilst the lower rail 2 of the said track consists of upwardly directedvertical flanges of a further series of longitudinally aligned lengthsor sections l of angle iron. The lengths or sections 5 are securedbeneath, and supported from, the outer ends of arms 5 carried byuprights 5 of a conveyor frame. The lengths or sections 4, on the otherhand, are secured and supported upon the top sides of the said outerends of the arms 5. By reason of this arrangement, therefore, the

upper rail l of each track T is secured, together with the lower rail 2of the track above, to the same rail-supporting arms 5. The on er endnortion of each rail-supporting arm 5 is wone end of an attachment block3 which is arranged between, and bolted by of a o 8 to, the horizontalflanges of lengths or sections 3 and 4 of angle iron. Moreover, at eachlocation where opposed ends of aligned lengths or sections 3 and 4 abut,these ends are, as s n more clearly in Figure 4, bolted to anachmentblock by means of a pair of the bolts At other appropriately spacedlocations the ion as or sections 3 and i are maintained the cor distanceapart by means of spacing collars cured in position by rivets ill (seeFigure 3) inner ends of the arms 5 may advantageously b-v welded to theuprights 6, and the latter are nished with feet I! (Figure 1) adapted tobe socured to the floor.

Each of the carriages C on each track T consists, as shown in Figures 6,l, 8 and 9, of a pull of spaced end frames 52 connected together a thesides by longitudinal tubular steel rails E serving to carry, in theillustrated example, transversely channelled sheet metal tray adapted toreceive shoes in various stages 0.

the

manufacture. The tray is suitably welded to rails it. that the endframes 52, which are a st production, may alternatively be connectedmember or members serving to carry a pegs, work-holding or supportingloops or lent. As will be seen more clearly in Figures and 8, each endframe !2 comprises a leng tubular steel bent into the form of an in U,and a cross member l5 of angle section the ends of which are welded tothe lower portions of the vertical limbs of the U. The inner of thevertical depending flange it of the cross member l5 has welded orotherwise suitably cured thereto a pair of spaced angle bracl is I whichare drilled to provide bearings for stile l8. This axle is comparativelylong and is cured in position by the application to its ends of clips[9. Axially slidable along the axle it tween two collars 20 mountedthereon, is a smell wheel 2i which is peripherally grooved forengagement with and to run along the lower rail 2 of a track T. Theinwardly directed flang '22 of the cross member [5 is recessed at 23 toire room for the wheel 2! and permit of move ment thereof along thewheel axle it. Each riage C is therefore provided at each end and thebottom thereof with a grooved wheel, and when engaged with a rail 2, thetwo wheels are, of course, longitudinally aligned. Welded or otherwisesuitably secured to each end frame i2, near respectively opposite sidesof the carriage, are two upwardly directed trunnions through whichextend axle pins 25 of rollers 25. The peripheral corners of theserollers are radiused. Moreover, the rollers 26, which constitute theaforementioned combined stop and supporting members, are located wellabove the end frames l2 to an extent sufficient to enable the tworollers at either side of the carriage to bear inst and run along theappropriate side of the relevant upper rail I when the carriage islaterally tilted. To permit of initial engagement of the wheels 2% of acarriage with the lower rail 2 of a tracl: T, the appropriate rollers 26can first be readily inserted between the two rails I and 2 of the saidtrack by holding the carriage level, in a horizontal plane. When acarriage is so held the rollers 26 are disposed beneath and clear of thelower edge of the upper rail 1; it is only when the carriage is tiltedthat the appropriate rollers are swung upwardly and brought into contactwith the upper rail.

One of the two carriages depicted in Figure 9 is shown tilted to theleft-hand side of one track, whilst the other carriage is shownsimilarly tilted to the right-hand side of the next track below.Accordingly,'the two rollers 26 at the right-hand side of the upper ofthe two carriages are shown bearing on and running along the outer sideof the upper rail of its track, whereas the two rollers at theleft-handside of the lower carriage are shown bearing on andrunningalong the inner side of the upper rail of the track below.Whenever a carriage C is transferred by a rocking movement from one sideof the relevant track T to the other, the Wheel axles l8 slide throughthe grooved wheels 2|, this additional component of movement of thecarriage changing the centre of gravity of the latter and resulting in apreponderance of weight shifting to that side to keep the carriagesteady as previously explained.

To prevent carriages which are travelling at the appropriate side of atrack from colliding with the rail-supporting arms 5, the outer endportions of the latter are inclined downwardly somewhat from the track.This will be clear from a consideration of Figure 9, wherein it will beseen that by reason of the inclination of the outer ends of the arms 5,the upper of the two carriages tilted to the left-hand side of its trackis clear of those arms 5 serving to support the lower rail 2 of the saidtrack.

If desired, means of any suitable character (not shown) may be providedfor automatically effecting transference of carriages from one side ofthe track to the other. Such means may conveniently consist of guides orcams on the tracks arranged for contact with parts of or on thetravelling carriages. Alternatively, guides or cams on the carriages maybe adapted for cooperation with the tracks. Similar means may beemployed, if necessary, so to move carriages, during travel, as toprevent them from colliding with parts of the conveyor frame.

What I claim then is:

1. A conveyor comprising a track consisting of two parallel railsarranged one above the other, a carriage movable along said track, meanson the bottom of the carriage engaging and adapted to run along thelower rail, upwardly directed supporting members at the top of thecarriage which are spaced in the lateral direction and are adapted forcontact with the upper rail, each supporting member being provided withan upper rail contacting surface and the upper rail contacting surfacesbeing spaced a substantial distance apart to allow lateral tilting ofthe location of the center of gravity of the carriage with respect tothe lower rail to one side or the other of the lower rail.

2. A conveyor comprising atrack consisting of two parallel railsarranged one above the other, a carriage movable along the track,elements on the bottom of the carriage engaged with and adapted to runalong the lower rail of the track, upwardly directed supporting membersat the top of the carriage which are spaced in the lateral direction andare adapted for contact with the upper rail, each supporting memberbeing provided with an upper rail contacting roller and the peripheriesof the upper rail contacting rollers being spaced a substantial distanceapart 0 to allow lateral tilting of the location of the center ofgravity of the carriage with respect to the lower rail to one side orthe other of the lower rail.

3. A conveyor comprising a track consisting of two parallel railsarranged vertically one above 'the other, a carriage movable along thetrack,

longitudinally spaced wheels on the bottom of the carriage engaged withand adapted to run along the lower rail of the track, means mountingsaid wheels for lateral sliding movement relative to the bottom of thecarriage, upwardly directed supporting members at each side of thecarriage which are spaced in the lateral direction of the carriage andadapted for contact with the upper rail, each supporting member beingprovided with an upper rail contacting surface and the upper railcontacting surfaces being spaced a substantial distance apart to allowlateral tilting of the location of the center of gravity of the carriagewith respect to the lower rail to one side or the other of the saidlower rail, the carriage moving bodily sideways in relation to itswheels by virtue of the mounting of the wheels for lateral slidingmovement relative to the bottom of the said carriage.

4. A conveyor according to claim 3, wherein the supporting membersconsist of rollers the axle pins of which are mounted in upwardlydirected trunnions provided on the ends of the carriage.

5. A conveyor comprising in combination, a track consisting of twoparallel rails arranged vertically one above the other, a carriagemovable along the track, transversely disposed axles on the bottom ofthe carriage upon which are mounted wheels engaged with and adapted torun along the lower rail of the track, the said axles being slidablethrough the wheels, and the ends of the carriage being provided withupwardly directed parts which are spread in the lateral direction of thecarriage and are fitted with supporting rollers adapted for contact asand when required to do so with the relevant side of the upper rail ofthe track, the construction and arrangement being such that the carriageis laterally tiltable see-saw fashion laterally of the track to eitherside with the wheels still in engagement with the lower rail and so thatthe carriage can be transferred as occasion demands from an inclinedposition at one side of the track determined by contact of thesupporting rollers at the appropriate side of the carriage with theopposing side of the upper rail to an oppositely inclined position atthe other side of the track determined by contact of the remainingsupporting rollers with the opposite side of the said upper rail, thecarriage, when tilted to either side as aforesaid, moving bodilysideways in relation to its wheels by reason of the axles slidingthrough the said wheels so as to change the location of the centre ofgravity of the carriage and its contents with respect to the lower railand shift the preponderance of its weight to that side, for the purposeset forth.

6. A conveyor comprising, in combination, a track consisting of parallellengths of angle iron arranged vertically one above the other, armsserving to support the said angle irons, uprights carrying the arms, thebottom angle iron being disposed with one flange extendingvertically'upwards to constitute the lower rail of the track whilst thetop angle iron is disposed to present a vertically depending flangeconstituting the upper rail of the track, a carriage movable along thetrack, longitudinally spaced and peripherally grooved wheels on thebottom of the carriage engaged with and adapted to run along the lowerrail, upwardly directed supporting members at the top of the carriagewhich are spaced in the lateral direction and are adapted for contactwith the upper rail, and an upper rail contacting roller on eachsupporting member, the peripheries of said contacting rollers beingspaced apart a sufficient distance to allow lateral tilting of thelocation of the center of gravity of the carriage with respect to thelower rail to one side or the other of the said lower rail.

'7. A conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the carriage consists oftwo end frames connected by longitudinal members serving to carrysupporting means for articles to be conveyed, the said end frames beingfitted with transversely disposed axles upon which the wheels areslidably mounted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 555,280 Boynton Feb. 25, 1896 784,269 Monnier Mar. '7, 1905FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,809 Great Britain Apr. 1'7, 1902

